The Best of Our Friendship
by lissylou78
Summary: One shot series of what makes Derek and Penelope, Derek and Penelope!
1. Here for you

_**I feel a little bad that all I've been writing is angst, so I thought I would try and angst free fic. I was going to make 'yet another' series of one shots of Derek and Penelope, and their friendship. Which will I'm sure eventually evolve into something more. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**_

"We're on our way home Garcia." Hotch informed her as they made their way towards the jet.  
"How's he doing?" she asked worriedly. Hotch looked up and watched Derek made his way towards the jet without a word, his shoulders slumped, as though the whole world weighed on his shoulders  
"Not good Pen." He answered honestly.

For the last forty eight hours their team had been working hard to clear Derek's name, and unfortunately it involved delving into his past, only to find out just what torture their friend had endured at such a young age. It broke Penelope's heart to discover that her best friend was molested at such a young age, and what kind of impact that would have had in his growing up.

Upon their arrival appearances be damned Penelope waited by the elevator, she wanted to see him, she needed to see him, she needed to hold him and make sure he was okay. She was pacing when the elevator beeped. Hotch was the first one to spot her and gave her an encouraging nod as the rest of them disbursed quickly. Derek had finally looked up and saw her standing there, the look in her eyes only conveyed her unconditional love for him. Without a word she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck holding him tight. Derek dropped his bags to the ground to receive her in his arms and breathed her in clinging on to her as if his life depended on it. A few moments later she reluctantly pulled away and took her hand in his. Derek picked up his bag and wordlessly followed her as she led him into her bunker and locking the door behind them for privacy. Penelope pulled him on to the couch in her office sitting close to him. With her left hand covering his that rest somewhat stiffly on his leg, while the other lovingly drew patterns on his neck and head. She brought her forehead to his temple, her lips to his cheek, she murmured words of love and reassurance in his ear.

"It's over Baby, he can't hurt you anymore. You're going to be okay. I love you."

Derek remained unresponsive. Tears began to escape her eyes as she saw him broken before her. Her hero, her mighty warrior, her best friend, she knew he was battling the shame that he felt for what had happened all those years ago. That it killed him that they all knew what had happened to him.

"Look at me." She begged, trying to coax him out of his trance. Derek turned his head to face her, seeing the tears in her eyes his heart stopped. She was crying for him. His hand cupped her face as he wiped her tears away,  
"This doesn't change who you are. You're still you. It doesn't change how we all see you. It doesn't change the fact that you're my best friend, that I love you, that we all love you. So please don't shut me out, don't shut us out. Let us be there for you. Let us go through this with you, because I can't watch you isolate yourself under some false sense of shame. You have nothing to be ashamed of Derek Morgan. You hear me." She said bringing her forehead to his,  
"But P,"  
"But nothing Derek. You were a child. You had no control over what he did to you."  
"But all those kids died because I didn't say anything."  
"No Derek, those kids died because Carl Buford is an evil man. Do not shoulder blame that's not yours to bear, otherwise he wins. You shut down, he wins. You distance yourself from the people who love you, he wins. Don't let him win Derek. Please don't let him win." Her heart was breaking for him, she needed him to fight.  
"Please don't let him win, because I will not cope losing you too." Derek's protective instincts kicked in wrapping his arms around her holding her close to him.  
"I'm not going anywhere Baby Girl, I promise. I'm right here."  
"We're in this together okay. You and me." She promised,  
"Of course. Forever Baby Girl."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, holding each other close and tight. Penelope knew that his nightmares would come, and that his first instinct would be to shy away from the world that surrounded him, but she vowed not to let him. She would never let him go. As Penelope sat up keeping one arm around his middle and her other hand caressing his neck Derek looked at her with tears in his eyes, surrendering his soul to her. He needed her and the look in his eyes spoke volumes. Penelope pulled him towards her, gathering him with both arms as he collapsed before her sobbing.

"It's okay Baby, let it out." She murmured softly in his ear, as he clung to her for dear life.


	2. You scared me

_**Apologies for the delay of my updates. My roster has been all over the place and I haven't had a chance to do much else but try and catch some sleep. I will venture to update as soon as possible…hope you're all well.**_

Derek was a lot more shaken than he outwardly projected. They had come so close. They had lost an agent, and that could have easily been any of them. Hearing Penelope's tear strained voice on the line brought it all the way home for him. He knew she would have been beside herself till she had gotten through to him. As they got back into the office, none of them were surprised to see JJ and Penelope in the bull pen waiting for them. Wordlessly Derek made a bee line straight for Penelope. Penelope slid from his desk where he sat, in time for Derek to engulf her in his arms. The rest of them exchanged an appreciative smile.

"You guys must be hungry. Pen and I picked up dinner and it's up in the conference room."  
"Hotch, we also called Hayley and she's going to drop off Jack for you to have him the weekend." Penelope added,  
"You guys are the best." He stated amazed at their organisation.  
"Its how we roll Boss man." Penelope replied with a grin as she ushered them all up the stairs to the conference room. Derek lingered at the end and pulled her into another hug as the rest of them entered the conference room.

"You scared the living crap out of me Morgan!" Penelope admonished as she clung tightly to him.  
"I scared the living crap out of me too P."  
"I'm just so glad that Gideon got you out of there in time."  
"You and me both Baby Girl." He murmured into her shoulder as he held her close.  
"We should join the others. Your place or mine?" she asked knowing that they weren't spending the night apart, and possibly the weekend.  
"Yours,"  
"Done." She said giving him another quick squeeze before taking his hand leading him up the stairs.

Derek watched as Penelope headed straight for Emily as they entered the room. Derek knew that Emily had earned a soft spot in Penelope's heart almost immediately and was sensitive to everyone's apprehension of her.

"Hey Honey, how are you holding up after your first case?" Emily looked up at Penelope and smiled. Though everyone was polite, it was Penelope alone who made her feel like she belonged.  
"It was okay I guess."  
"Hang in there, they'll warm up. It takes awhile, and after everything that's happened, they're still licking their wounds." Penelope said softly as she sat beside Emily  
"I know. Thanks for you know," Emily met Penelope's gaze for a moment before dropping it to her lap  
"I got your back hon." Penelope promised with a brief squeeze of her arm. Emily grinned appreciatively.

Emily and Penelope were exchanging anecdotes when Derek appeared at Penelope's side with a plate full of food.

"Eat, and don't even try it. I know for a fact that you haven't eaten yet." He stated pointing at JJ who looked sheepish on the other side of the room.  
"Thank you." She replied taking the plate he held out to her, pulling at his arm so that she could reach his face and kiss his cheek.  
"Aww P, you make me blush." He teased earning a playful shove on his shoulder.


	3. A visit from Mama Morgan

"Hey Mama Morgan, welcome back" Penelope greeted enthusiastically as she was received lovingly in the arms of one Fran Morgan.

Fran hugged her son's best friend with great affection. She had demanded that Derek bring her home to Chicago that first year they had met after hearing about her non stop. It didn't take much for her to fall in love with Penelope and understood why she was so important to Derek. Ever since then they have built their own friendship. Penelope appreciated Fran's presence in her life. After losing her mother at such a young age, it meant so much to her than Fran had swept her into loving arms and long since adopted her as one of her own. The rest of the team watched their exchange with a smile. Fran Morgan was visiting for Thanksgiving to celebrate with her son and his friends. Penelope had planned a huge Thanksgiving dinner at Derek's as per their tradition, and Fran was looking forward to it. It had been years since she had spent Thanksgiving with Derek as he always opted to come home for Christmas and New Year to maximise the time with them.

"It's been far too long Sweetheart."  
"Mom, shouldn't you be saying that to me?" Derek asked with an amused chuckle,  
"When are you going to accept the fact that I have surpassed you. She loves you, but she adores me." Penelope said with a smirk. Fran laughed shaking her head at the two of them  
"You're both insane, but I do love you both."

Fran, Penelope and Derek went shopping early in the morning for their Thanksgiving feast. Derek provided the muscle as the ladies ran around ticking off lists. Preparation for Thanksgiving started the night before. Derek watched as his mother and best friend tackled the bird.

"Usually I make Derek clean the bird, it's my pet hate." Penelope admitted  
"And he does it?" Fran asked with raised eyebrows,  
"Of course, he's a gentleman that way." Penelope answered giving Derek a wink.  
"I'll have to remember that at Christmas."  
"For you Ma, I'd do it."  
"I'm touched Baby." Penelope rolled her eyes at him as she continued to knead the crust for the pies.  
"Dirk, did you invite Melody to thanksgiving dinner?" she asked innocently.  
"And who is this Melody?" Fran wondered out loud suspiciously. Derek threw Penelope a warning look as she merely smiled at him in return.  
"You're going to pay Baby Girl. No one Ma. She's just a girl I'm seeing."  
"Shouldn't that warrant an invitation to Thanksgiving so that your mother and friends can meet her?'" Penelope continued sweetly. Derek had met Melody at the bar they frequented on a night he was meeting up with the boys he played basketball. He had extended the invitation to Penelope who normally didn't mind being one of the boys, but she and the girls already had plans that evening. He had called her that evening to tell her all about his new friend, and as always they sat there for a good hour dissecting his evening.  
"She already has plans thank you."  
"So did you ask her after you found out she already has plans."  
"I resent such implications Baby Girl." Derek protested as his eyes twinkled in confirmation.  
"How are you ever going to give Mama Morgan her grandbabies?" she teased.  
"Sue me that I wanted to just chill for the holidays and hang out with my loved ones and spend quality time."  
"Aww that's sweet Dirk." She said placing a kiss on his shoulder as she passed him to get to the oven,  
"You sit there and you tease me about girlfriends but you and I both know you'd be sulking in the corner because I wasn't lavishing you with my undivided attention if they were present." He teased,  
"What can I say? I'm a mystery that way. Besides, you should be able to juggle girlfriend and best friend."  
"She does know that's impossible right?" Derek stated looking at his mother  
"Leave me out of this. I'm just enjoying the show. Leave the innocent bystander out of the firing line."  
"Mother, why do you encourage her? Like she's not obnoxious enough as it is." Penelope giggled,  
"Mama Morgan, you're the best." Penelope complimented as she dropped a kiss on Fran's cheek before heading towards the door to answer the door bell.  
"What?" Fran exclaimed as her son shook his head,  
"You don't make it any easier Mom." He protested.


	4. holidays are for families

"I'll come pick you up tomorrow at 8 Baby Girl. Be ready."  
"I was born ready Sweet Cheeks." She replied with a grin as she headed out the door with the girls.

The team were disbursing to their own Christmas plans as of the following day and had spent the evening out to dinner at one of their local haunts. They had exchanged presents with their not so Secret Santa's, shared holiday plans and planned a dinner at Hotch's after they all return. Emily, JJ and Penelope had planned to continue their partying at Emily's that evening, which was why Penelope had packed her bags the night before ready for a sleepover at Emily's and a week at the Morgan's for the holidays. The three of them had become a definitive trio. Everything they went through at work only brought them closer together, and though the whole team were close, there was a special bond between the three of them that they never took for granted.

"I don't know why we bother with Secret Santa, we always end up getting presents for everyone anyway." JJ said with a chuckle.  
"Because it's fun, it makes that one present interesting."  
"Says the person who tries to rig it every year." JJ teased.  
"I resent that. I don't need to rig it, because we always end up getting each other something in the end."  
"That is true. It's always fun to get Reid though,"  
"In that give myself a migraine trying to find the genius the perfect gift kind of way Jayje?" Emily replied dryly  
"That's because you haven't learned that the fun of it all is buying him something that will totally throw him off." Penelope stated amused,  
"Last year Pen had picked out a pink vest for him, it was very Metro and he almost had a heart attack."  
"Does he or does he not wear it?" Penelope asked smugly,  
"I've seen that vest, it's nice. It is quite Metro and always thought that it seemed out of place, and un Reid like. That explains that anomaly." Emily piped in as she leaned back against her couch.  
"See, you just need to spin it to your advantage. You did pretty well for your first round though Em." Penelope complimented referring to the first edition of Byron that she presented Reid with.  
"It was no easy feat I tell you, seeing as I vowed not to buy him anything academic and end up buying him a book."  
"Of one of his favourite authors, without knowing it,"  
"Luck and desperation was on my side."

The BAU men headed to the bar for a couple of drinks at the local bar before heading home for the night. Derek still had to pack for Chicago, Reid was packing for LA to visit his Mom, while Rossi and Gideon were doing their own thing with their respective partners. Hotch and Hayley were staying local to celebrate with Jack. Everyone was looking forward to the dinner at the Hotchner's after the holidays, as it had been awhile since any of them, with the exception of Penelope had spent any time with Hayley and the baby. Penelope was Jack's favourite baby sitter, and the years at the BAU had made Hayley and Penelope friends.

"Baby Girl, must we go through this every year?" Derek asked amused as Penelope presented her luggage before him,  
"If you insist on not learning every year, yes. I told you, I need a bag for my clothes, my laptop, and then I have my handbag because I am a girl. How hard is it to get through that gorgeous head of yours that every piece of my luggage is a necessity?" she answered sweetly handing him her suitcase of clothes. In truth her luggage wasn't much if any bigger than his, but he liked to tease her all the same.  
"Not to mention I had to squeeze Christmas presents in there,"  
"Hey, we always go shopping for Christmas presents together, it's tradition." Derek protested,  
"And do you really expect me to shop for your present with you?" she enquired exasperatedly rolling her eyes.  
"So what'd you get me?" without answering Penelope gave him a light shove towards the direction of the door, as she turned to say goodbye to JJ and Emily who were enjoying the show before them,  
"It amazes me that they're not married," Emily observed with a grin,  
"They may as well be with all that mushy gushy stuff."  
"I'm standing right here girlfriends, leave the Penelope bashing till I'm out the door thank you."  
"And the fun in that would be??" Em quipped earning a slap in the arm from Penelope before she hugged her goodbye.  
"Call when you get there."  
"I will, and both of you check in when you reach your destinations okay?"  
"We will," JJ assured her when it came her turn to hug Penelope goodbye.  
"Love you both,"  
"Love you too." They replied in unison as they hugged her one last time,  
"You take good care of her Morgan,"  
"I will Prentiss," he promised dropping a kiss on both their cheeks before leading Penelope back to his SUV.

"My Darlings, you're home." Fran greeted them both with her arms open wide to receive them.  
"Hey Mom," they replied as they walked into her embrace.  
"I love how your Mom says welcome home like I grew up in your home." Penelope said to Desiree as she hugged her hello,  
"I'd hate to break this to you, but our home is now your home, and has been since the moment she met you."  
"And I love that." She confessed honestly. She knew that if her parents were alive, Derek, and anyone from their team would have the same reception in their home. As much as Penelope loved being with the Morgan's, it always left a somewhat bittersweet feeling in her heart. Being with them made her miss her parents that little bit more, but the comfort of having the Morgan's cancelled any negative feelings that may linger.  
"Pen, I'm so glad you're here. I have so much to tell you, the phone just doesn't cut it." Sarah said coming between Desiree and Penelope.  
"I'm looking forward to it,"  
"Annual shopping night?" Desiree suggested,  
"Yes! Definitely!" Sarah replied excitedly. Every year on the night that they arrive, Penelope and the Morgan sisters go shopping after dinner to give Derek some time alone with their mother. It was usually the time that the girls buy their presents for Derek because it was a lot more fun shopping for him as a collective.  
"Ice skating?" Penelope threw in,  
"Like of course!"  
"Throw in a hot chocolate and your brother and I will meet you guys at the rink."  
"Of course!" the three of them replied with a grin earning a chuckled from Derek. Truth was, he loved seeing Penelope with his sisters, he loved that she was so intertwined in his family. What other people may perceive as a complication somewhere down the line, Derek seemed oblivious to it.

Fran, as always cooked a feast for their arrival, in the last couple of years, she had began to incorporate some of Penelope's favourite dishes into the menu, which always made Penelope feel all choked up every time. As they did every year, Derek and Fran shooed them out of the house to do their Annual Christmas Shopping Spree while they cleaned up.

Wandering around the mall with Desiree, Sarah, Emily and JJ never failed to make Penelope feel like she was back in high school. They laughed and giggled as they tried on clothes, when they got bored doing that, they concentrated on the task on hand which was finishing up their Christmas shopping. By the time they made it to the Ice rink the three of them were caught up and reacquainted, they were already skating around by the time Derek and Fran arrived.

"She's looking well," Fran observed,  
"Yeah, she's doing much better. Almost losing Reid really shook her up, it shook all of us up, but P…" It had only been a week and a bit since they had returned from the hell they went through with Tobias Henkle and it had taken a toll on all of them which was why Hotch had fought for all of them to have the holidays off. If Reid hadn't decided to head to Vegas to be with his mother, he would have insisted that he stay with them for the holidays. Penelope was skating between Sarah and Des, the three of them doing loops around the rink arm in arm.  
"They never fail to make me think that they're teenagers when the three of them get together, it's so nice to see." Fran observed.  
"She's like that with Emily and JJ too. The three of them when they get together remind me so much of growing up with those two."  
"Why don't you join them for a bit, while I sit here and play with my camera." Derek grinned and gave his mother's cheek a quick peck. Fran took out her camera from its bag and began clicking away. She had always been interested in Photography, which is a passion she shared with Penelope who encouraged her to work on her skills. They had all put in for a great camera for her the previous Christmas, and her portfolio was becoming impressive. She took consecutive snaps of Derek colliding with them taking them all down. The sea of arms and legs up in the air, their laughter that echoed through to where she stood and the smiles on their faces made her heart warm with contentment. It was going to be another great Christmas.


	5. you're the best

"Derek no,"  
"Come on P, you're my best friend. If I have to endure a High School reunion, I may as well have fun, and that will only happen if you come with me." He whined,  
"Derek, I refuse to go to mine. Why would I willingly throw myself in your High School reunion?"  
"Because you love me." He answered pouting as he placed his head on her shoulder batting his eyelashes unashamedly at her.  
"Not right now I don't." Penelope retorted rising to her feet letting him fall on her couch,  
"P!!!"  
"Derek no!"  
"Why?"  
"Because I don't want to be looked up and down by every girl you made out with in high school as they critically wonder how you have managed to hook up with some geeky girl."  
"Firstly, don't talk about my best friend like that because I will take you down. Secondly, so what if they do. At the end of the day I'm going with the best looking girl there with a whole lot more than her looks to offer. My best friend is not only incredibly hot, but she's the smartest person I know, and when she's not being a high maintenance kind of girl, she's incredibly fun to be with, and quite funny too." Penelope rolled her eyes and sat back down on the couch beside him  
"Does it really mean that much to you that I go with you?" she asked,  
"Yes, it does. Please P. I'll go to yours if you go to mine." Penelope sighed,  
"Fine, fine. I'll go!" she muttered begrudgingly. Derek's face lit up as he threw his arms around her pulling her into a tight embrace.  
"You're the best P,"  
"And don't you forget it Morgan."


	6. bringing up the past

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, we're here." Derek said softly coaxing Penelope from her slumber. She was leaning against the passenger window hugging her Hefty Smurf Beanie pillow. They had left in the middle of the night to drive to Chicago for his High School reunion that after a lot of begging, she begrudgingly agreed to. He appreciated that she was a great sport about it. She had come over the night before with her bags, ready to sleep over so that they could make an early start. Penelope woke to Derek tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear

"That's it Princess, open those pretty eyes for me. We're here." Penelope opened her eyes and grinned at him,

"I didn't last very long at keeping you company and awake did I?"

"That's okay Sweetheart. I forgive you. Let's go. Mom's bound to jump out of the front door at any moment."

"Ooh Mama Morgan!" She said excitedly hopping out of the passenger side of the door. Fran who had heard Derek pull in came out of the front door with her arms opened to receive them. Penelope ran into them without hesitation.

"Hey Mom," she greeted affectionately

"It's so good to see you again Sweetheart, both of you." She added as Derek wrapped his arms around them both. Derek placed their bags in their respective rooms and pulled his mother into his arms,

"It's good to be home Ma. We've missed you."

"Seeing you was the deal breaker." Penelope said teasingly.

"And let me tell you it took a whole lot of begging to get that one to agree to come."

"I am still protesting Handsome. If it didn't mean so much to you, I would have already bailed. Reunions are against every fibre of my being." Fran shook her head at them both in amusement. It never failed to amuse her to see them in action. Penelope went to the cupboards and grabbed the plates to set the table, while Derek grabbed the glasses.

"Like perfect clockwork," Fran observed with a smile as she got the breakfast feast ready.

Penelope was getting ready in Des' room, where she had been since they had gotten back from an afternoon at the mall with his mother. She had bought her dress in Virginia, it was more subdued than her usual outfits not wanting to make a bad impression. She couldn't help but feel overly conscious about walking in on Derek's arm. Admittedly she was frightened of the judgemental, how did she score someone like him looks. She couldn't quite convey to him just how scared she was. That not everyone saw her through the rose coloured glasses he did. To him, she was beautiful, but life had taught her very early on, that not everyone was as welcoming of her eccentricities as her best friend. Though she projected a somewhat confident exterior, deep down she truly wasn't. In saying that, she knew her worth, and loved who she was and would never apologize for it, but she was human, and social settings such as reunions always brought out her insecurities.

"How are you?" Fran asked placing a hand over Derek's as they sat at the kitchen table with coffee. Penelope had excused herself to get unpacked and ready for the evening's festivities wanting to give mother and son some time together.

"A little nervous, I'm so glad that P's coming with me. There's no way I would have gone if she didn't agree to come."

"Does she know why you're dragging her as your security blanket?"

"No."

"Should you maybe warn her?" Fran suggested, while Derek shrugged his shoulders

"You know she's going to skin you alive when she finds out from someone else."

"I know, I just, maybe she won't pitch and we can just have a good time."

"How much does Penelope know?"

"Bits and pieces,"

"Why not tell her the whole story?"

"I can't Ma. I just can't."

"She's your best friend, she's a part of this family. What exactly is stopping you? It's not going to change anything between you."

"You don't know that Ma."

"I know her and I know how much she cares about you. She would never let anything affect that. Has she ever given you reason to think she would."

"No of course not,"

"Then give her the benefit of the doubt instead of dragging her there unprepared."

He had knocked on the door, but received no answer. He found her sitting by the windowsill, legs to her chest and iPod on book resting on her knees. She had long since given up trying to figure out what hair style to go with her outfit that remained in the Des' closet. They had a couple of hours before they had to leave, and Penelope had decided that she wasn't going to use that time panicking and picked up the book she was reading and whacked on her iPod to block out her inner demons and insecurities. She jumped when Derek's hand landed on her shoulder,

"Sorry P, I tried not to scare you." He apologised as she removed the earphones from her ears.

"That's okay Handsome. What's up? You have that, 'we need to talk face'. The one that usually follows with your dog died."

"P, you've never had a dog." He replied with a smirk

"Shut up, you know what I mean." She said smacking him in the stomach with the back of her hand as he laughed. Derek sat down by her feet and rest his arm on her knees. Penelope placed her hands on his arm waiting for him to go on,

"So I wanted to give you a heads up on tonight. The reason why it's so important to me to have you there tonight is because Jessica will more than likely be there."

"The Jessica?" Penelope said in surprise. She had heard about Jessica, not much and usually it was during his drunken regretful stupors. Though her information pool was minimal, she noted the impact on her best friend was huge.

"The very one," he said letting out a deep breath

"Have you heard from her?"

"Yeah, I got a private message from her on Facebook. She contacted me through the Reunion Event Invite.

"And…"

"She said that she was looking forward to seeing me."

"Ahh, so what happened between you guys?"

"She and I, we grew up together. Our parents are friends, and we spent most of our childhood in each other's houses. She was my best friend. When my Dad was there, she was there. When the whole Buford thing happened, I ran to her. If it wasn't for her I don't think I could have survived that whole thing. I loved her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. She made everything better just by being around. I don't think I've ever loved anyone the way that I loved her." Penelope gave his arm a squeeze,

"So I got the scholarship, and we went to different schools. We made an honest go of it, but distance, and time, it changes people. It changed us. She was my first, and back then I was naïve enough to think she would be the only one. She came to see me at school, I remember I was just so happy to see her that I didn't even question why she was there. It was during our midterms and we both said we were going to skip the visit to make sure we ace our exams. I remember it was raining and she was soaking wet and when she flew into my arms she was shaking. She freaked the living crap out of me. I thought something had happened to her, that someone had hurt her. She burst into tears. She told me she was pregnant." Penelope gulped unknowingly,

"P, I was so excited. I started making plans, I didn't care that we were still at school. I would have dropped out and bagged groceries, I would have done it, but she stopped my rambling. She told me it wasn't mine."

"Oh Baby, I'm sorry." Penelope said softly taking his hand and enclosing it in hers, their fingers intertwined.

"It felt like my whole world just shattered. It polled up there as one of the worst moments of my life. Losing Dad, Buford, Battle shooting you. I was so hurt and angry, I told her to get out and never speak to me again."

"Was that the last time you saw her?"

"Pretty much. I didn't want to have anything to do with her, I was just so angry. I shut down. I refused to take her calls, or to see her. I just banished her from my life. She married the guy, and had their baby. A few years later I found out that he had been beating her, and I sent one of my boys from the precinct to arrest the bastard."

"Without her knowing of course." Penelope guessed as Derek shrugged his shoulders.  
"What are you so afraid of Derek?"  
"That everything will come flooding back."  
"Is that so bad? Maybe it's time you face this one, maybe it's something you need to move on from. You guys were best friends for most of your life, and I understand she hurt you, but she lost too D. She lost big, she lost you. You can't just forget her forever."  
"I'm really glad you'll be there with me P. I don't think I could have done it if you weren't going to be standing right beside me."  
"Sure, what are friends for."

As nervous as Penelope was about walking into Derek's reunion on his arm, it was put aside at Derek's evident uncomfortable-ness. She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze as if to remind him that she had his back. Derek dropped his gaze to her and smiled before placing his lips on her temple. After many introductions to various people and they were standing by the bar, Derek stiffened beside her. As she looked up a gorgeous young woman walked towards them. There was a genuine countenance about her that Penelope couldn't help but like her even before they were properly introduced.

"Derek,"  
"Hey Jen, it's good to see you." He greeted as he awkwardly gave her a hug hello  
"Hi I'm Jen," she said turning to Penelope,  
"This is my best friend Penelope." Penelope shook Jen's hand warmly,  
"Nice to meet you." Penelope kept her arm looped around Derek' as they talked. Every so often when awkwardness set in, she would jump in to lend a hand. Each time, she would discretely lean a little against him. Her presence was doing wonders for him and he had never appreciated more than he did at that moment.  
"Hey Handsome, I'm just going to check in with the girls, why don't you guys chat for a bit. I'll be okay, I'll be in the lobby." She said assuring him while giving him a supporting nod. They needed to talk and on their own, and now that she had sussed that he would be okay, she wanted him to deal with it once and for all. Reluctantly he nodded discerning more than what her lips were saying. She dropped a kiss on his shoulder before heading towards the lobby. Jen watched as Derek's eyes followed Penelope's if to make sure she made 100 feet away. Jen couldn't help but feel sad knowing she once held his attention the same way.  
"Listen Jen…" he began.


	7. getting you through it

Penelope was on the phone to Emily in the lobby hoping she had done the right thing by leaving him there to talk to Jessica, but his confession that afternoon explained his fear of commitment and tendency to aim only for short term relationships. Whatever was between them was proving to be a road block for him, one that he needed to learn to climb over and as his best friend she wanted him to deal. Whatever the fall out, she would be there. She had always known that Jessica's impact was a big one, and now she finally understood. Soul ties run deep and this was no exception. She guessed that Jessica was the woman in which he measured all women by and she understood that. She could see that the love between them still existed and would forever be a part of them. She knew that the one mistake that Jessica made would be the one that she would regret for the rest of her life. Derek though fiercely loyal was equally unforgiving when betrayed. For all of his attributes, one of his failings was unwillingness to forgive those who have hurt him. After everything she understood it and felt sorry for those in the receiving end of his wrath.

"So does it suck as much as you anticipated?" Emily asked amused after enduring days of Penelope's whining.  
"Yes," she answered stubbornly before taking it back,  
"Actually it's bearable." Penelope bit her lip from adding it was because other things were occupying her mind.  
"See, I told you it wouldn't be so bad."  
"Easy Tiger, just because I'm not wanting to slit my own wrists doesn't mean it's fun." Penelope retorted earning a chuckle from her friend.  
"What are you up to this weekend?"  
"Providing there's no case I am hoping to just stay home and try and kick this sore throat that keeps lingering. How about you? Just hanging out with the family?"  
"More or less I think. No set plans. We were thinking of driving back on Sunday, if we make it back early enough you up for a Girls Night at mine? We have Monday off anyway."  
"Sounds like a plan. Let me know, we can always get the party started without you and you can just catch up."  
"True, will keep you posted. I better go back in there before he starts looking for me."  
"Enjoy the rest of your evening PG."  
"I will do my outmost to try."

"How are you Derek? You're looking well." Jessica said in observation, a distinct sadness lingered in her eyes.  
"I'm well thank you. Working like a dog,"  
"You don't look any worse for wear for it."  
"Because I love it, and trust me there are plenty of bruises to sport it, but as I said, I do love it. You're looking good too Jess. How's Michael?" he asked after her son. She had named her son after his late father, for all that he was in both their lives and it meant a lot to all of them. Still to the day, it tugged at his heart.  
"He's great, growing like a weed, he's crazy smart."  
"Beauty and brains from his mother of course."  
"Well…how can I argue with that? Listen Derek," she began,  
"Jess, it's okay."  
"Is it really?" she countered.  
"I won't deny that it hurt, but I know I wasn't the only one who was hurt. I hurt you too." Jess dropped her gaze to the floor.  
"I understood that you were hurt and angry, but Derek I lost more than my boyfriend that day. I lost my best friend too. I think that hurt more than any beating I took from Charlie." Derek clenched his fist at the mention of the garbage he had arrested.  
"Thank you by the way." Derek looked up at her with forced innocence.  
"I can still read right through you Derek James Morgan. Don't even deny it. It wasn't at all coincidental that Charlie was taken into custody by one of your boys from the precinct. I appreciate that after everything, you would still do all that for me."  
"It was no big deal," he said with a shrug, but Jess placed a hand on his arm.  
"But it was a big deal. Not only was it that you cared despite what happened between us, but also because I'm sure if Freddy hadn't burst through the door that night, Charlie would have killed me emotionally if not physically. I made Freddy promise not to tell you how bad I was, because I knew you would have killed Charlie in your anger, and I think we have all paid enough price for my mistake." Derek shook his head knowing she was right.  
"Penelope seems great."  
"She is," he said looking towards the door that led to the lobby.  
"How much does she know?"  
"All of it." He answered without hesitation. Jessica smiled at him,  
"I'm glad. I wish I could say that I hated her, after all she's not only taken over where I sat as your best friend, she's surpassed me. But I don't. Because I see just how much she cares about you, and you're lucky Derek. You're really lucky."  
"I know." He agreed with a smile at the thought of Penelope.  
"She's totally restored a part of you I had always felt to bad in breaking. Your faith in human kind and ability to love."  
"She has. With what we do at work, when I'm drowning, she's the one waiting with a life vest, she is my vest. After everything, Buford, us, I wasn't sure if I could ever trust anyone again and she proves to me daily that I can. She challenges me, and she doesn't take no for an answer, nor is she scared to kick my ass when it needs kicking."  
"Wow, I'm impressed. Would it be weird if I said I'd really like to get to know her?"  
"No, the chances are the feeling would be mutual." He answered with a chuckle,  
"You mean she doesn't hate me for what I did?"  
"That's not Pen. And for the record Jess, I've never hated you. Ever." He said solemnly,  
"Thank you Derek. That means more to me than you could ever possibly know."

After their talk, Penelope in good timing had come back into the ballroom. As she approached them Derek gave her a reassuring smile to answer the questioning look she gave him.

"I'll get you ladies a refill." He said dropping a kiss on her temple as she joined them,  
"Thanks Dirk." She replied after his retreating figure,  
"Dirk?" Jess asked with curiosity,  
"The first day we met, he didn't know my name. One of the guys told him my name was Gomez and of course when he called out Gomez, I didn't answer. So he screams out Baby Girl in the middle of the bull pen which was a tad embarrassing, so ever since he introduced himself to me as Derek, I've been calling him Dirk as a payback. It sounds stupid out loud, but it worked at the time."  
"It's not stupid at all." Jess said kindly.

The rest of the evening was spent catching up like three old friends. Penelope felt somewhat a kindred connection to Jessica and vice versa. Derek watched them in great amusement. Years had healed his heart, and having Penelope in his life taught him that life was too short to carry such a huge baggage of bitterness, that it was a choice to drop those baggages. He had to admit, having that talk with Jessica released him.

"Hey P." Derek said catching her hand in his before she could open the front door,  
"Yeah hon?" she replied.  
"Thank you." He said pulling her into his arms and engulfing her in an almost bone crushing embrace, his gratitude could not be conveyed in words but she caught it,  
"You're welcome. You'd do the same for me. It's what friends do." She murmured into his chest as he buried his face on her shoulder.


	8. you suck morgan!

Derek tried calling Penelope again and received her voicemail as he had been for almost an hour now. He knew she was mad at him, and with good reason, knowing had the shoe been on the other foot he would be ropeable. It was any wonder that she lasted as long as she did not wanting to kill him.

"So this is the eleventh message I've left you. Now I know you're really pissed at me right now and I deserve it, but I would really love to apologise and beg for your forgiveness. Come on P, you can't be mad at me forever." He pleaded,  
"Ha! Watch me Morgan!" Penelope retorted as she listened to him on her answering machine. He had been calling her for over an hour. On her cell phone, on her home phone, he'd been texting and emailing her too. She would be amused if she wasn't so mad at him.

The whole team had taken her out the night before for her birthday the moment they got off the plane from a case. All were in attendance with the exception of said best friend who had promised to be there, but never pitched.

"Message number twelve P, I don't care if you're mad at me I'm going over there now and making you talk to me."  
"That'll be hard because I won't be here." She replied poking her tongue out at the machine. Just as she opened her front door to leave, there he stood with a bouquet of balloons and the largest teddy bear she had ever seen. When he had appeared from behind the bear she saw that his free arm was in a sling  
"You seriously thought I wouldn't know that you would bolt the moment you knew I was coming over?"  
"What happened to you?" she asked worriedly, forgetting for a moment that she was mad at him.  
"I got grazed during the raid."  
"By what?" she asked  
"A bullet." he answered cringing knowing that she would start a different tirade,  
"And you couldn't share this with the class when it happened and when you were on your way home? Did you make the others promise not to tell me?"  
"I didn't want you to worry. It was your birthday."  
"So instead you don't turn up and make me thing you just blew off my birthday?"  
"I would never blow off your birthday P."  
"Well I thought that until last night."  
"Come on P, give me a break huh? I had every intention of pitching last night, but I ended up with a rash and Hotch insisted on taking me straight to the hospital." Penelope groaned,  
"Are you okay?" she asked finally looking at him.  
"Yeah P, I'm fine. Am I forgiven?" he asked with that famous Morgan grin  
"Only because you're injured." She muttered opening the door waving him in. She rolled her eyes as he took the bear by the neck with his good arm and hauled it into her apartment. He turned and opened his arm out to her and she carefully walked into them grumbling into his chest as he hugged her tightly.  
"So telling your Mother on you."  
"You wouldn't?"  
"Are you really okay?" she asked again ignoring his previous comment.  
"Yeah P, it hurts a little but I'm okay. I'm really sorry I missed your birthday dinner last night. They doped me up so good that I fell asleep. I was supposed to call Hotch as soon as they did a once over, and he was going to come and pick me up to take me to the dinner, but I didn't wake up till this morning."  
"It's okay. It's just a birthday. I'll have another one next year." She said shrugging it off.  
"Let me take you out tonight and celebrate, my treat."  
"Really Morgan, it's okay." She assured him giving him a brief squeeze again before stepping out of his embrace.  
"But I want to celebrate." He pouted earning a chuckle from Penelope,  
"Because it's all about you! How about a compromise, pizza, DVD, ice cream, the whole works, here tonight?" Derek knew she was trying to make it easier for him,  
"Only if you let me take you out properly when my arm is no longer in a sling."  
"Oh don't you worry my friend, I insist." Derek grinned pulling her into another hug and planting a kiss on her temple.  
"You're the best P."  
"I know." She replied with grinning back at him. Derek rolled his eyes and dropped his lips on her nose before gentle pulling her to the couch with him for an afternoon of couch potato-ing.


	9. Taking care of you

"Hey Derek, where's Penelope?" Emily asked returning from her friend's lair looking confused  
"Bunker?"  
"Been there, and she's not answering her phone."  
"We were supposed to hang out last night but she bailed on me last minute saying that she wasn't feeling great. She may still be in bed." Derek ran up to Hotch's office,  
"Hey Hotch, P check in with you?" Hotch looked at his phone and saw that there were no missed calls or messages.  
"No, she not in?"  
"Em said she's not in her office. She wasn't feeling well last night, do you mind if I run over there to make sure she's okay?"  
"Of course, keep me updated."  
"Will do" Derek replied heading out the door.

Derek drove like a mad man trying to get to Penelope's genuinely worried that something had happened to her, hoping that she had simply slept through the morning. He let himself in and went straight to her bedroom finding her buried beneath her doona. He noted by the box of tissue, water, cold and flu tablets by her bedside table that she was indeed sick. He brought his lips to her forehead,

"Baby, you're burning up." He stated worriedly placing his hand on her forehead. Penelope woke to his touch,  
"What are you doing here? Oh my gosh! I slept in didn't I? I have to call Hotch." She said trying to sit up  
"Lay you hard head back down. I'll call him. Why didn't you tell me you were this bad last night?"  
"Derek, it's the flu. I'll live. Besides, I didn't want you to get it too." Derek rolled his eyes.  
"Snuggle back in and I'll call Hotch. Do you need anything?"  
"No, I'm good." Penelope murmured falling back asleep. Derek brought her doona up to her chin tucking her back in before giving her forehead another kiss. Pulling out his phone he called Hotch,

"Morgan, she okay?"  
"Yeah Hotch, she's got a bad case of the flu."  
"Why don't you just hang there to make sure she's okay?." Hotch suggested knowingly  
"Thanks Man. I'll keep you posted."

Derek carefully sat on the other side of Penelope's bed, careful not to wake her. He pulled the files he shoved in his backpack out and started working on them. When Penelope stirred she found him sitting up against her head board, head thrown back, eyes closed. Bored from sleeping she reached for the remote control on her bedside table and saw that Derek had replenished her water supply, tissue box, and emptied her tissue pile. Derek woke to Penelope's minimal movements.

"Hey, bored with sleeping already?" he asked as she flicked from channel to channel.  
"Hey Sleeping Beauty." She teased with a yawn. Derek patted his lap wordlessly, to which she complied by shuffling over to him and resting head on his lap. Derek draped his arm over her back and rubbed it soothingly as coughed and sniffled.  
"You hungry?" he asked.  
"Not really."  
"P, you have to eat something if you're going to take more medication. I've got chicken soup."  
"You made chicken soup?" she asked doubtfully,  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence P." he said feigning hurt at her disbelief.  
"But, no I called the Diner and Ricky made a delivery."  
"Aww, you're the best Dirk. I might jump in the shower for a bit." Penelope said rolling out of bed. Derek jumped to his feet to help her up,  
"Honey I'm fine." She insisted.  
"Deal with it Garcia." He said holding her up and helping her towards the bathroom.  
"Your services are not necessary in there my love."  
"Oh shame!" he replied with a chuckle as he handed her fresh pyjamas and her towel.  
"Call out if you need anything."  
"I will."

As Penelope showered Derek stripped her bed, and changed the sheets. By the time she had emerged from the bathroom he had moved her DVD player into her room, along with a stack of her favourite movies. He had heated up the chicken soup, and warmed the rolls for her lunch,

"You truly are the best friend a girl could ever hope for." She stated sitting down on the recliner chair as he set up the tray in front of her.  
"You would be doing exactly the same for me." He pointed out kissing the top of her head.  
"Now pick a movie."  
"Willy Wonka?" she answered with a grin, knowing he would groan, and as if on queue, he did  
"Only because you're sick Baby Girl."

Penelope got through most of her soup, mainly as a result of Derek's stern looks and nagging. Shortly after Derek helped her back in bed as she curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. Derek could feel that she was still incredibly warm and uncomfortable. He ran his fingers through her hair till she was fast asleep. As her fever continued to rage through Derek kept a cold compress on her head till it broke that evening.

Emily and JJ smiled at the sight of their two friends fast asleep on Penelope's bed. They had brought dinner over, and the rest of the team were arriving shortly to join them. Emily walked over to Penelope and placed her hand on her forehead,

"Hey Pumpkin," Penelope greeted opening her eyes at her touch,  
"Hey PG, you feeling better?"  
"Yeah I am. I've had gallons of liquid shoved down my throat flushing out any infection lingering in my system." Penelope answered dryly. JJ helped Penelope up from her bed, as she got up Emily took the opportunity to jump on the bed, jolting Derek awake,  
"What the!!!" he yelped in surprise as the girls giggled at his expense.  
"Very funny Prentiss!" he said grabbing by the waist and tickling her. JJ and Penelope watched in amusement as Emily squealed in protest wriggling from his grasp.  
"Shall we help?" Penelope asked looking at JJ who shrugged.  
"Nah, let's leave them to sort it out."  
"GUYS!!" Emily screamed after them as they walked out of Penelope's room.  
"Ha! You're dead Prentiss." They heard Derek declare triumphantly.


	10. what you deserve

"Must you be so obnoxious about it?" Penelope said with a pout crossing her arms across her chest. Derek broke into a grin and walked over to her draping an arm around her shoulder giving her a brief squeeze.  
"I'm sorry P. You're just so good at everything that it's nice to see you're not perfect all the time." Penelope's mouth gaped open in shock before she retaliated by elbowing him on the stomach  
"OUCH P!"  
"Maybe, I'm not meant to be married. Maybe I'm supposed to just be spinster Aunty P, to all of your children. Maybe I'm destined to be alone for the rest of my life." She said with a defeated sigh after yet another lousy date. The grin from Derek's face quickly disappeared  
"Oh hey! P, that's not true. You're going to find someone worthy of you. Who will sweep you off your feet and show you that they are extremely lucky to have been blessed with you in their life. He'll come P, I promise." Penelope shrugged not quite buying his pep talk. Derek watched as she made her way to her couch silently. He felt awful for teasing.  
"You're just having a bad run P. And you know, it's not such a bad thing that they bomb on the first date, at least that way you knew early on that they're not the one. That's better than being in the middle of it before realising that it's all wrong." Derek sat close to his best friend and pulled her into his arms. Penelope curled up against his chest,  
"You deserve someone who lights up at the mere mention of your name. Who would make a fool of himself if only to make you smile. Someone who knows you inside and out. Who brings out the best in you, challenges you to reach your true potential. Someone who makes you feel that the whole world rises and sets with you. Someone who loves you so much that they ache when you're not near them. You deserve all that and more P. I would never want you to settle for less just because you think your time is running out. The promise for your life is greater than you see for yourself. You need to start believing for yourself what you believe for everyone else."  
"See when you make statements like that it's any wonder I keep you around as my best friend." Penelope pointed out with a chuckle.  
"No other place I'd rather be. Now what do you say we wash your bad date mojo away with all the soppy movies you want to watch. I will order Pizza and make sure our Ice Cream stash is overflowing and we make a night of it."  
"Do you not have a girlfriend to hang out with?"  
"Best friend trumps girlfriend always." Penelope raised an eyebrow,  
"And how well exactly does that go down when you tell them that?" Derek grinned,  
"Too bad, you come with the package Baby Girl."  
"Thank you." She said snuggling closer to him as his arms tightened around her  
"Anytime Princess." He answered dropping his lips to her head.


	11. morgan's dark day

Penelope considered waiting in the office, but after Hotch had announced that paperwork could wait till Monday, she knew that he would shoo them home as soon as they hit the tarmac. It had been a hard case, and thankfully it had broken the afternoon before which meant they flew overnight and were back in Virginia early the next day. Penelope who had been living in her bunker in their absence was looking forward to sleeping on a bed.

Derek bid them all a quick farewell and headed home. He knew from her text message that Hotch had sent Penelope home too. He smiled upon seeing her car in his driveway. Quickening his steps he made his way into his apartment to find her standing in his kitchen in her sweats, which more accurately were once his sweats getting breakfast ready. She walked over to him wordlessly wrapping her arms around his neck. Derek pulled her close to him and breathed her in.

"P, you didn't have to. I know you're just as tired as the rest of us,"  
"Shut up. I haven't missed a dark day in six years. I'm not about to miss this one just because I'm sleep deprived."

Derek buried his face into her shoulder. His dark day, as they labelled it was the death anniversary of his father. It was one of the days in the year where he was quieter than usual, more reserved than what they had come to know as normal. With the exception of Hotch she was the only one who knew the date's significance and Hotch only knew because it was the one day in the year that Derek requested to have off if they weren't already on a case.

"I made breakfast. Why don't you eat something? My guess is your last meal was a power bar before you took the unsub down."  
"You know me way too well Baby Girl."  
"It's what best friends are for Handsome. Come eat." She said taking his hand to lead him to the kitchen table.  
"Impressive Baby Girl." He said as his eyes took in waffles, bacon, eggs and fresh fruit.  
"Eat." She replied handing him his plate. Breakfast was spent debriefing about the case and just catching up. The case had taken almost two weeks to break and they were all glad that it was over.  
"Why don't you grab a shower while I clean up."  
"P, you cooked. Let me wash up."  
"Derek Michael Morgan…"  
"I'm going. Thank you." He said dropping a kiss on her temple as he handed her his plate.  
"You're welcome."

By the time Derek had emerged from a long hot shower Penelope was on the couch reading a book. Without looking up she patted the pillow on her lap. He lay down on the couch laying his head on the pillow and closed his eyes as Penelope gently ran her fingers over his head soothingly. Minutes later he was fast asleep. Pulling the blanket that hung over the couch, she tucked him in. Derek stirred hugging her arm to his chest without waking up. Penelope chuckled knowing that there would be no moving for the length of time he would be sleeping and resumed reading with one hand.

Penelope awoke to Derek jerking around in his sleep. She had fallen asleep with her head thrown back on the couch.

"Baby wake up. It's okay. It's just a bad dream. Derek, sweetheart wake up." She soothed rubbing his chest to bring him out of his sleep. Derek's eyes opened and sought hers.  
"Baby I'm here. Hey, right here." Penelope said cupping his cheek. Derek's eyes filled with unshed tears. His nightmares came and went, depending on the case, and circumstance, its level varied. She knew that around his dark day, he was plagued with dreams of his father. Derek's heart beat slowed eventually against her hand.

They both knew that sleeping would be out of the question for the rest of the afternoon so Penelope had pulled him up to his feet.

"Let's go for a walk and get some fresh air." She suggested,  
"Sounds good. You want the bathroom first?"  
"Yes please. I'll be quick." She replied with a wink.

The two of them walked in a companionable silence hand in hand, just enjoying each other's presence.

"I want to light a candle for your Dad. Did you want to come in with me?" she asked as they stood in front of the church. Knowing that Derek still had issues with his faith she never pushed him, and always allowed him to make his own decision.  
"Yeah P, I'll come with." She gave his hand a quick squeeze as they entered the church. Derek sat on the pew as Penelope got on her knees and prayed. Moments later she rose to her feet. He appreciated that she lit a candle for his Dad on the anniversary of his death, as well as his birthdays. It's what made her Penelope, he knew it came straight from her heart, and that with or without him she would be doing it. Admittedly if it wasn't for Penelope he would never set foot in church. Usually the battle was getting himself there, but once he was in there, a sense of peace always filled him.

"Hey Ma, sorry I called late in the day. We flew back in this morning and I crashed as soon as I got home."  
"That's alright sweetheart. You okay?" she asked knowing that it was a rough day for all of them,  
"Yeah Ma. You forget I have Penelope." Fran chuckled,  
"That's true. Tell her thank you for the flowers."  
"Hang on Ma, I'll put her on." He said nudging Penelope with his shoulder as she tore her attention away from her book  
"Hey Mom,"  
"Thank you for the flowers Kiddo."  
"You're welcome. I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you. Of all of you,"  
"Thank you for looking after my baby."  
"Sure, he's a handful but I can handle him." She answered teasingly as Derek dropped his hand on her thigh knowing that she was extremely ticklish.  
"I'll put you back on. Bye Mom. Love you!"  
"Love you too sweetheart."

Derek chatted to his Mom for a bit longer and called his sisters to check in while Penelope continued to read beside him. Once he finished with his calls he draped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a brief squeeze.

"Thank me again and I will elbow you where it hurts." She said without looking up from her book earning a chuckle from Derek.


	12. i need you

"Derek…" Hotch repeated after not receiving a response,

"I heard you Hotch. Tell me she's okay." His voice shook a little begging for Hotch to tell him what he needed to hear.

"She's still in surgery Derek. From what they tell me she'll be in there a few hours so take your time. You know she'll kill you if hurt yourself trying to get here. There's nothing you could be doing here anyway."

"But she's going to be okay?"

"Derek, this is Penelope Garcia we're talking about, with the exception of you, she is the most stubborn person in the world. I would bet my life she's fighting whatever odds that may come her way in true Penelope fashion." Derek had to smile knowing he was right.

"I'm packed and ready to go. Mom's booking me an earlier flight home as we speak. If I'm not there before they bring her down you tell her she better be opening her eyes when I get there."

"I will do."

Penelope, Emily and JJ had spent the weekend at Emily's doing girly things like facials, manicures and pedicures on each other, while watching old movies, all the while consuming a whole lot of junk they wouldn't normally consume on a regular day. But it had been a tough few weeks. Their last case had taken three weeks to break and the one before that just as long. By some miracle Strauss had been generous and granted them a few days off. Penelope and Derek had spent the first couple of days working on one of his new project houses before he left to spend the weekend at his Mom's. As always the invitation was extended to Penelope who declined in favour of a Girls Weekend with her best girlfriends. On her drive home on Sunday afternoon a truck had swerved into her lane, sending Esther off the road so violently that the impact turned her over. The truck driver was reckless and had been trying to cut into her lane judging incorrectly, and the tail end of his trailer sent her car flying.

"Is he okay?" Emily asked as Hotch hung up. She had rushed over to the hospital as soon as he told her, laws be dammed she drove with her phone to her ear. She had driven straight to JJ's house to pick her up, to tell her the news in person before driving to the hospital.

"This is Penelope we're talking about," he answered as if that explained it all, and it really did.

"What time does his flight get in, I'll grab him."

"Are you sure? I can go and get him while you and Jayje wait here in case she wakes up." Emily shook her head,

"She'll want me to go get him." Hotch nodded knowing she was right. Though they were a close knit team, Derek and Emily had formed a bond, that outside Penelope, she was next in line. Penelope relied on that while they were on the field that Derek and Emily would take care of each other, and cover one another at all times.

"Fran is going to call when she's booked his ticket."

Derek fidgeted the whole flight home. His Mom had managed to get him on the next flight out which was within an hour giving him enough time to get to the airport and literally fly through to check in. He looked up to see Emily standing there waiting for him.

"She okay?" he asked in a panic,

"She's still in surgery and Hotch hasn't called for an update, so no news is good news."

"Em, I can't lose her." He said in a desperate whisper. Emily drew him into her arms and hugged him tightly,

"You listen to me Derek Morgan. My friend Penelope Garcia is the strongest, most stubborn person I know. If anyone can get through this, she can. You hear me? So don't you go eulogising her in your head. She's going to be fine."

JJ jumped to her feet when Morgan walked through the door. She flew straight into his arms and sobbed. Morgan drew her close and hugged her tightly, knowing that clinging to him was as close as she was going to get to holding on to her friend who was fighting for her life in surgery.

"She's going to be fine Jayje." He said trying to reassure her.

"Any word?" Derek asked looking up at Hotch.

"Not yet, the nurse said the doctor will be out as soon as he's done with surgery." Just as Hotch finished his sentence the doctor came out.

"Penelope Garcia,"  
"Yes," they all replied in unison.

"Ms Garcia pulled through surgery, with the injuries she's sustained, it's a miracle. There has been some internal bleeding, damage to her spine that we've had to repair, and we're hoping with physical therapy she will eventually get back to normal. She had a broken ankle, and she's covered in bruises. We almost lost her on the table, but your friend's a fighter, she fought like hell in there."

"That's our Penelope." Rossi stated somewhat proudly.

"In saying that, the next 24-48 hours are critical."

"Can we see her?" The doctor hesitated but knew it would be futile, they looked like a stubborn bunch who camp out regardless what he said.

"Sure, its not standard practice and normally against hospital policy, but I seriously doubt any of you would listen to me anyway. I'll have the nurse get you once she's been transferred to her own room in the ICU, you can all stay there with her, but be prepared to be thrown out when we need to move around in there."

"Thank you Doc." Hotch replied gratefully.

As their eyes fell on their friend outside her ICU room, they inwardly gasped. With her leg propped up broken, tubes down her throat and numerous tubes connected to her, the impact of the seriousness of her accident hit home. Derek was at her side immediately covering her hand with his. He dropped his lips to her temple and whispered in her ear, telling her he was there. The rest of them gathered and laid a hand where they could, making their own presence known. Sensing the Derek needed some alone time with Penelope, Hotch had gathered the troops to grab some dinner knowing they would all be sitting in Penelope's room in a vigil till she woke up and out of the woods.

"P, I know you can hear me so you fight this okay. You open those pretty eyes of yours Baby Girl so I can see them. You can't leave P, you're my best friend. You're the only one in this world who makes my world make sense when nothing does. I need you P. Please come back to us, we love you."


	13. recovering

Derek sat in quiet vigil holding on to Penelope's hand. It had been hours since they had brought her down from surgery. Their whole team were sprawled around her room. Rossi was sandwiched between Emily and JJ on the couch, both their heads resting on each one of his shoulders. Hotch and Reid had a plastic chair each on the other side of Penelope's bed opposite Derek.

"Seriously you guys, what's with the solemn faces? Did someone die?" Penelope joked meekly as she opened her eyes and took in the sight before her. Derek jumped to his feet.

"You scared me to death LADY." Penelope saw immediately the worry in his eyes,

"I'm sorry Sugar. I'm fine." She said trying to reassure them all.

"She says all bruised up with her ankle in a cast." Emily retorted dryly as she leaned over to give her friend a hug, careful not to hurt her.

"Why don't we give you guys a few minutes? We'll head out and grab take away for dinner to bring back. I'll have the nurse send the Doctor in okay?" Hotch suggested sensing that Derek needed a moment with Penelope.

"That sounds great Bossman. Don't forget the Moo Shoo Pork."  
"Would I do that?" Hotch replied with a smile dropping another kiss to her head before herding the rest of them out of there. Penelope squeezed Derek's hand,

"I'm okay."

"I almost lost you. When Hotch called to tell me about the accident, I froze and these images just flashed before me of a life without you, and P I don't care for it at all."

"Lucky, you're stuck with me then huh." Penelope pulled him gently towards her,

"What does a girl have to do to get a hug from her best friend?" Derek grinned and carefully engulfed her in his arms,

"Sorry,"

Penelope was confined to the hospital for another couple of days till she had managed to sweet talk her Doctor into releasing her, who only agreed to it after their whole team assured him that she would not be without company for as long as it took for her to be well. Derek had played the best friend card and won the toss of staying with her at her apartment, which admittedly didn't take much adjusting to as he spent most of his time there anyway.

"Derek Michael Morgan, please stop fussing. I'm okay." Penelope exclaimed in frustration. For days he had been following her around refusing to let her do anything on her own, and though she understood and appreciated it, she was at her wits end. It was bad enough to be cooped up in her apartment, but to also have him unbearably protective as though she was going to break, was beginning to lose its charm.

"Sorry P,"

"I have an idea, why don't you call Hotch and see if he wants to play ball. I'll call the girls and tell them to come over so you can rest easy knowing I'm not on my own. Play ball, grab a burger, hang with the boys. Please! As much as I love you, I think I'm ready to kill you." Derek grinned and kissed her cheek,

"Alright Hard Head, I'll go." Penelope rolled her eyes knowing that even though he had agreed to the plans, he would be calling every five minutes to make sure she was okay.

JJ and Emily were at her apartment within the hour with DVD's, junk food, and board games. For the next couple of hours they were engaged in a healthy competition of Dawsons Creek Scene It. By the time the boys arrived with the PIZZA they had settled down with An Affair to Remember with the biggest bowl of popcorn known to man.

"Oh my gosh, they've gone for An Affair to Remember." Derek said in a conspiratory whisper loud enough for them to hear,

"I'm just thankful we don't have to endure another session of Dirty Dancing," Hotch replied,

"Actually we were just waiting for you to arrive." The three of them answered in unison grinning earning a groan from the four boys at the door.


	14. Pushing me to my limit

Penelope waited patiently at the hospital waiting room with Emily, JJ, Reid and Rossi. Hotch was in with the Doctor for a check up after being released only hours before, the shots fired in the hospital left a ringing in his ears that were starting to bother him. Derek was being given a once over after his little stunt move with the ambulance, they hadn't spoken since she told him that she was too mad at him to promise him anything, and truth was she was still mad. A part of her wanted to go straight back to the hotel and let him stew in the hospital knowing that she was livid with him, but she couldn't. She needed to see for herself that he was okay, and then she would kick his ass.

Hotch emerged with his hand to his ear, looking rather uncomfortable. Seeing him looking wounded, realising that they could have all easily have lost him evoked an overwhelming feeling inside her. Without a thought or hesitation she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist carefully not wanting to hurt him. Surprised and somewhat touched Aaron encircled her into a firm hug,

"I'm okay Penelope." He assured her. With tears in her eyes she looked up at him,

"I know, I'm just glad. I, I'm sorry about Kate." She said sorrowfully. He knew that seeing the explosion of the SUV with him only a few feet away would have shaken her to the core, and losing Kate would have only solidified just how close they had come to losing him too.

"Thank you. Are you okay?"

"Boss man, you're the one who's injured."

"I know, but you've had to watch me almost get blown up and talk your best friend through a ride of his life, I'd say you've had a pretty rough day yourself."

"I'm just glad you're all okay. Which isn't to say someone isn't going to get a kicking in the rear end the moment I see that he's in one piece!" Hotch laughed,

"I'm counting on it." He replied with a grin. As if on cue Derek came out of the emergency doors. With the exception of a few cuts here and there, he was perfectly fine. Hotch released her and gave her a gentle nudge towards Derek, as she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow he gave her a quick wink. Penelope chuckled before walking over to Derek. Derek wasted not a moment and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry P." he apologised, knowing just how unfair he was asking of her what he did. Penelope said nothing but hugged him tightly against her. He pulled back to look at her but Penelope refused to meet his gaze. She hugged him once more before stepping out of his embrace. Just as she turned to walk away from him he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards, his eyes pleading but she only shook her head sadly before shaking his grip off her wrist. He had pushed her too far and he knew it. It was a quiet ride back to their hotel, barely a peep was made, all lost in their own thoughts. The only sound in the SUV was Hotch trying his best to talk to Jack on the phone despite how painful it was. Penelope wondered if Haley ever put two and two together, that at the times when he seemed so desperate to talk to his son, were his biggest 'loss' days. Penelope shuddered at the thought of that one phonecall that she knew would devastate Haley. She prayed such day would never come.

As they arrived at the hotel they had all disbursed into their own rooms. Derek stared at Penelope's retreating figure and sighed. He had a whole lot of work ahead of him and he knew it. He had never seen her so mad at him, and she had every reason to. Penelope was thankful that she had a room to herself. JJ and Emily were assigned a room together before Will came. She jumped into a long hot shower and stayed there for a good half an hour before emerging. When she emerged from the bathroom she found Derek sitting on her bed waiting for her. Tightening the robe around her she walked towards the bar fridge and handed him a beer. Derek took the beer from her and placed in on the bedside table taking both hands in his,

"You infuriate me Derek Morgan!"

"P,"

"This hero complex you have is starting to really lose its charm Derek. I can't do this anymore. You may not care about your life, but there's a bunch of us do and when you disregard it just like that, throw yourself in harms way every chance you get, you're screaming loud and clear that you don't care. Did you think for a moment how that conversation was going to go down between me and your mother? That as much as it would kill me to be the one to tell her, I would have to be the one to tell her? Did you think how devastated she would be if anything had happened to you? Derek, what if I had been wrong? What if that bomb was detonated before I thought it would be? Then I would have been the one who signed your death certificate. You're my best friend, and I love you. You know I would do anything for you, but sometimes I think you overestimate my abilities. Don't you know that losing you would be like dying as well?" Tears began to pour from her eyes. Derek stood to his feet engulfing her in his arms into a fierce hug. Penelope brought her arms to his chest not allowing him to get any closer to her, Derek ignored her protests and just pulled her as close to him as possible.

"I'm sorry Baby Girl." He whispered desperately into her ear,

"I'm so sorry." Penelope stepped out of his embrace and wordlessly lay on her bed. Derek followed wrapping his arms around her as he spooned behind. He could her soft whimpers and moved as close as he possibly could to her.

"I had to do it P. I know you think I always pull stunts like that, but this was different. If I didn't take that ambulance out of there, all those people would have died, including our family. All I could think of was that I didn't want Jack to grow up without his Dad. I didn't want him to go through what I had to. I had no doubts that you could get me out of there P. No one else could have done that but you. I'm not some young idiot looking for a high P. I did what I know was the right thing to do. I'm just so sorry that I had to put you through that. The last thing I ever wanted to do was scare you the way I did. You're my best friend P, and if that ended up being my last moments, I wouldn't have cared, because those last moments, I was talking to you." Penelope turned to face him, acutely aware that he had only momentarily loosened his grip before retightening them,

"You still suck, but I get it. Try and not do it again any time soon."

"I promise."


	15. Family Day, BAU style

"Are you sure?"

"OMG Hotch, I swear if you ask me again I will not be responsible for the bodily harm I may have to inflict upon you." Penelope threatened picking up her beloved Hefty Smurf beanie pillow.

"Just checking. I know it's the first weekend we've all had off and I'm making you baby sit my child."

"Whom I love dearly. Besides, it's not like you're exactly doing something fun. You have a dinner with the Bureau heads, I can't think of anything more snoozey than that. Jackers and I will have a blast."

"I have no doubts about that. Did you want me to drop him off at yours or are you cool to stay over?"

"I don't mind either way. Actually, why don't you drop him off at mine? It'll give you and Hayles some time to yourselves. I can drop him off at yours tomorrow afternoon."

"Penelope, you don't have to do that.' He said gratefully,

"I know I don't but I want to. So just suck it up. Have fun with your lovely wife."

"You're one in a million you know that right?"

"I've always had my suspicions." She replied with a grin shooing him out of her office.

Penelope was packing up for the day when Derek sauntered into her office flopping himself down on her couch.

"Hey P, what's our plans for the weekend?"

"There's no we kimosabi. I'm on Jack duty tonight and tomorrow." She answered.

"What? What am I supposed to do?" Penelope turned to see her beloved best friend pouting before her.

"You can go out with the others, hang with Spence or Prentiss." When he remained unresponsive to her suggestions she rolled her eyes,

"Or you're more than welcome to hang with me and Jackers. We're going to cook hot dogs and make s'mores. Then we're going to watch Hotch approved movies."

"And you were going to deprive me of that experience, P I thought I was your best friend."

"You are a drama queen my friend!"

When Hotch and Hayley arrived at Penelope's to drop off Jack, neither were surprised to see Derek on her couch getting the screen set up for their makeshift cinema in her lounge room.

"Aunt P!" Jack squealed with excitement at the sight of his favourite Aunt/Friend/Babysitter.

"Jackers! How are you my little man?" she asked as he jumped into her arms.

"I'm good. What are we doing today?" Jack knew that any time with his Aunt P was going to be a fun one.

"We are going to cook hot dogs outside, and s'mores then afterwards, you, me and Uncle Derek are going to have a movie night, any movie of your choice, that's been approved by your parentals that is." She added in the end.

"He may never leave." Haley said with a laugh,

"Thanks so much for doing this Pen. We really appreciate it. We were going to leave him with Jessica but he insisted he wanted you for the job."

"Well I am flattered. And no thank you necessary, I love hanging out with my favourite little man." She said giving Jack a brief squeeze as carried him on her hip. Jack giggled tightening his arms around her neck as if to return the sentiment.

"What? No hot date today Morgan?" Haley teased.

"I really wish you guys would stop thinking I'm some gigolo." Derek replied in a mock hurt tone.

"You'll live." Hotch assured him with a pat.

"So let us know if you want us to pick him up tomorrow. Otherwise see you guys for dinner tomorrow night, and no that is not an invitation but an order. You too Morgan."

"Yes sir!" Penelope replied with a chuckle.

After hugs and kisses, the Hotchner's were on their way out to the Bureau dinner. Morgan got the little campfire set up on Penelope's backyard. After she was shot she had invested in a property by the beach. Morgan had helped her fix up the once beaten up house that she had bought for next to nothing. She had a small yard that led right to the beach. She had spent many nights and afternoons in her hammock on the back porch just chilling. It was her favourite place.

Despite the copious amounts of sugar little Jack Hotchner consumed, enough for his father to murder Penelope if ever he found out, Jack had dropped off before eleven that evening sitting between Penelope and Derek. His upper body leaning against Penelope's side with her arms wrapped around him, while his legs were on Derek's lap. Derek took the blanket that was draped on the back of Penelope's couch and covered the little boy between them. Shortly after he noticed that Penelope had grown awfully quiet and saw that she was asleep with her head on the arm of the couch. Chuckling he rose to his feet to gently detangle Aunt and pseudo nephew apart without waking them. Jack murmured incoherently as Derek picked him up. Jack lay his head on Derek's shoulder unconsciously. After tucking Jack into his bed in the guestroom Derek went to put his best friend to bed. Effortlessly he carried her into her bed and tucked her in just as he had Jack minutes before. Placing a kiss on her forehead he brought the blanket to her chin as she snuggled into her pillow contently. He watched her sleep for a bit before making his way to his own bedroom. It was the other spare bedroom that he had long since claimed as his own, just as she had her own room at his place.

Penelope woke up early the next morning to find both boys already awake and busy in her kitchen. Derek was flipping pancakes while Jack was stirring the batter carefully in its bowl.

"Morning boys!" she greeted planting a kiss on Jack's head.

"You're both up early." Penelope joined Derek on the other side of the kitchen counter to cut up the fruit for breakfast. She dropped her lips to his shoulder,

"Thanks for starting breakfast. You should have woken me."

"No way, we were hoping to surprise you with Breakfast in bed weren't we slugger?" Jack nodded enthusiastically as he dipped his finger into the chocolate chip pancake batter.

"Well next time give me fair warning." She replied.

After breakfast she shooed them out of the kitchen to get ready for a day out on the beach. It was a beautifully warm day, and they we were all looking forward to splashing around in the ocean. Penelope watched as Derek held Jack firmly in his arms pretending to dunk the boy into the waves earning giggles that warmed Penelope's heart.

Before Noon, JJ arrived with Will and Henry, followed closely behind by Emily and then Reid. They had planned an afternoon at the beach before heading over to the Hotchner's for dinner.

"What time did we have to be at Ma and Pa Hotchner's?" Emily asked she tickled the little boy that sat on her lap.

"After six, I offered to have it here so they didn't have to go through so much trouble but apparently Haley has been working on the menu for weeks, we just keep getting called away."

When Haley realised that Hotch was never going to walk away from his job, she had made more of a conscious effort to get to know the team. She and Penelope were already friends, but she knew that the rest of the team were equally important to Aaron, therefore she needed him to know that she was willing to include them in their lives. By doing just that, it had brought Haley and Aaron closer together. Soon, they had become Ma and Pa Hotchner. Haley became a fourth for the girl's and a valued part of their BAU family.

When they arrived at the Hotchner's they were all looking sun kissed and healthy from an afternoon in the sun.

"You guys look great. You boys are in charge of Jack and Henry tomorrow. I think the girls and I might spend an afternoon at the beach at Pen's." Haley announced with a smile,

"You got it honey." Hotch replied dropping a kiss on her temple.

"Yay! Fun!"


	16. What's right for you

"Derek, this may be your chance."

"But New York?"

"It's a well deserved opportunity Derek. I don't want you to go, but you and I both know that you have dreams beyond Supervisory Special Agent. You've worked hard for this."

"I don't know if I could leave the team Hotch. You guys are my family."

"Derek, we will always be here and we will always be your family. Can you honestly say that you're not going to look back with a 'What if' should you decide to let this pass by?" Hotch asked gently,

"I don't know Hotch,"

"Talk to Penelope Derek, talk it through with her." Hotch could sense that Penelope was in part the weight that Derek carried. Their friendship was what he held as most important in his life and his hesitation would lie in the fact that he didn't want to leave her or be apart from her. Derek nodded, though he knew that she would put a brave face and tell him to go.

Derek left Hotch's office with his eyes downcast and as though the weight of the whole world was resting on his shoulders. He headed straight to Penelope's office, though unsure of what he was going to say or how he was going to start that conversation.

"So are you going to tell me why you're hovering over my threshold or shall I ask you in a few?" Penelope asked without looking up from her screen. She had felt his presence a few minutes before, and when he hadn't made his presence known as obnoxiously as normal, it meant he was still stewing in his mind. Derek sighed dropping to the chair closest to the door and rolled it over closer to her.

"Baby, we need to talk."

"Are you pregnant?" she teased trying to ease him into what looked to be a difficult conversation. Derek couldn't help but smile, he let out another breath before taking her hands in his and met her gaze,

"P," Derek habitually tucked a loose curl behind her ear,

"NY Brass has offered me Kate Joyner's position. What to do you think?"

"What? Whoa! Derek that's great. Honey that's awesome. I'm so proud of you!" Penelope said genuinely throwing her arms around him hugging him tightly. Her heart dropped a little after it caught up to her brain, realising what that meant. Telling herself to pull it together she dropped her lips to his shoulders and hugged him a little tighter before stepping back to look at him,

"You've been working for this moment Morgs your entire career, you deserve it. It makes sense that it's elsewhere, you've always said that you would never feel right taking over from Hotch if that time ever came."

"I know, I just…"

"But what baby?"

"I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave you." He finally breathed out in confession,

"Oh Morgs, I don't want you to leave either, but this is your career. You and I, we'll always be us, regardless if we're together or apart. It's not permanent or forever. If it's not for you, I'm sure Hotch will have you back in a heart beat. Just try it out, give it a fair chance. You owe yourself that much. You haven't worked as hard as you have to be SSA Morgan forever." Derek could only nod knowing she was right. Penelope wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him another hug,

"I am proud of you, but I sure will miss you." She murmured against his chest as he pulled her as close as humanly possible.

"That means a lot to me P, and you know I'm going to miss you like crazy."

"Sure you will, till you meet some leggy, drop dead gorgeous model like person, then you'll forget all about your best friend."

"Hey, don't even joke." He said lifting her chin so that she met his gaze,

"You know that will never happen." Penelope smirked,

"I do, and if you even think of heading down that road you know I'd kick you ass. Not to mention sick Momma Morgan on to you."

"Good, because I expect nothing less. I may be miles away but you're still my best friend in the whole world P. Nothing will ever change that. Time, distance, etc. You got me?"

"Yes I do, and back at you."


	17. Saying Goodbye

As plans were made for Derek's transfer, Penelope kept herself busy with helping him organize everything as well as planning his surprise farewell to be held at his place, which was now technically hers. Upon the many decisions to be made, one of them was moving into his home. Her lease was ending and she was supposed to move in with him anyway. He felt better that she would be in his home, he didn't want to rent out his apartment just because he wanted the option to come back if things didn't work out. With Penelope taking care of Clooney until he got settled in, it seemed to make sense. In the space of two weeks, they had managed to pack her up and moved into his house. Most of his belongings were staying till he made final decisions. Emily and JJ watched as Penelope seemingly keep it together but they knew better. They caught the look in her eye when she thought no one was watching. They knew that Derek was gauging his decisions based on Penelope and her reactions, that if she seemingly wasn't going to cope with having him so far away he would throw it all in. A fact that Penelope knew too well, but he was her best friend and she wanted the best for him and at that point New York was that best. Sure she'd miss him, they all would, but they'd make it work.

"So what time are the boys bringing him back here?" Emily asked as she handed Penelope a balloon to fill with helium. They had decked the whole place out with balloons and streamers. The backyard was set up with tables and in the corner a Jukebox karaoke sat, beside the long table filled with food.

"In about an hour. Do you think we have enough food?" Penelope asked worriedly,

"Yeah PG, there's more than enough. Nice touch with the corn dogs,"

"Well it's like his favourite, and it is his party."

"Pen, I've put Henry down in your room. Reid just called, he said that he's got Morgan's family in the car and they should be here right on schedule."

"Great. I know that he was really heartbroken that he couldn't make a trip up there before he headed to New York, and he didn't want to ask them to come down."

"Well, he's in for a treat tonight. So are you still going to drive down with him?"

"Yeah, Hotch has approved time off for me. We're going to drive down in hi SUV, and I'll stay for a few days to settle him in and fly back."

"Well make sure he doesn't get any funny ideas like trying to convince you to move there with him."

"And incur the wrath of you two? Highly doubtful, besides what would I do there?"

"Says the woman with a standing job offer with CSI New York?"

"If I have said no to Mac after all this time, do you really think I would take that leap simply because Morgan is there? Come on you guys, give me some credit, besides this is his shot not mine. He needs to make the most of it."

By the time Fran and the rest of the Morgan clan arrived, house was ready, the decorations were up, the food and drinks were ready for consumption. Fran had to hand it to Penelope, when she went all out, she went all out. Looking at the decorations, the food choices, the photos she had chosen to display throughout his home was more than paying attention to detail. It truly showed just how well she knew her son, which by no means an easy feat.

"SURPRISE!" they all yelled as Derek walked through the doors to find his friends and his family there in his house all smiles. He glanced at Penelope whom he knew would have been the mastermind behind it all and threw her a grateful look. He was so happy to see his Mom and sisters knowing that the moment he made it to New York, it would be awhile till he made it to Chicago.

Penelope was sitting with the girls on the back porch when two large hands dropped to her shoulders making her jump a mile,

"My God Morgan, wear a bell around your neck would you. You almost gave me a heart attack," Penelope said whacking his legs with the back of her hand,

"I wasn't exactly being Ninja like Baby Girl but you three have been so engrossed in whatever it was that you were talking about that you've blocked out your environment." Not too far from the truth the three of them looked at each other rather sheepishly and chuckled.

"Why don't you sit Morgan. Em and I were thinking of replenishing our drinks anyway," JJ said standing to her feet,

"They do know that you and I are going to be alone together for the next week right?" Penelope asked somewhat rhetorically as they watched the two girls head back in side,

"This is JJ and Em we're talking about."

"True that. So are you having a good time?"

"Yeah P, the best. Thank you for organizing it all." Derek said gratefully wrapping an arm around her shoulder bringing her close to his chest,

"It wasn't just me, but you're welcome." Derek dropped his lips to her head, unable to fathom having to say goodbye to his life in Virginia, saying goodbye to his family and friends, saying goodbye to Penelope.

The road trip to New York, was exactly what they needed to transition to their lives without being in each other's constant presence. They talked, laughed, played games, danced and sang to the tunes that Penelope had picked out for the ride. When they arrived to his new apartment Penelope had helped him unpack and make it as homey as she possibly could. They had hung up pictures of his family, friends and a number of them together. She could tell as the day neared to her departure the more anxious he got.

"Hey, we'll talk every day. You'll be fine. I promise." She said trying to reassure him as they sat on his couch. He would start work the next day, after spending the last few days unpacking his things as well a doing New York things with Penelope. She was staying till the day after and flying home in the morning.

"I just wish it wasn't so far away you know?"

"Baby, it's like three hours away, less by plane. It's not that far. If you need me, or any of us, we'd be on a plane in a heartbeat and vice versa. We can fly to and from for major events." Derek nodded somewhat reluctantly, knowing that he was being a tad high maintenance at that point, but he couldn't help it.

His first day at work wasn't so bad, but he was counting down the minutes because he knew it was his last night with Penelope. Instead of staying home, they had gone out for the night and just made the most of it. After a quick breakfast early the next morning she had sent him off to work refusing his offer to drive her to the airport pointing out that it would only make the moment more epic than it needed to be. In truth, Penelope as at breaking point and having him take her to the airport would break the camel's back.

"Bye Baby, be safe and call me the moment you land."

"I will. You take care okay. Just because I'm not within ass kicking distance doesn't mean you get to take risks that will get you killed. Whether you tell me or not, you know I have my ways of finding out." Derek laughed knowing she wasn't kidding.

"I love you Baby Girl."

"I love you too Morgs." She murmured into his chest as he held her in a bone crushing embrace.


	18. Some things never change

To say that things were a little different after Derek's departure would be an understatement, but they made the best of it. As promised they stayed in touch via Video Skype throughout the day. Sometimes they left each other on as they went on about their day, throwing random pieces of conversation at each other as they came to mind. At first it was obvious that he was missing them all, but after much prompting and pep talks from Penelope, he began to live his life in New York, and make the best of it. After all the move had been made and he owed it to himself to make the most of it.

"So tell me about this new boy?" he asked as he moved his paperwork aside so she had his undivided attention.

"There's nothing to tell yet, and you know him. He's been to a few of Em's gatherings."

"Is he a friend of Em's?"

"Sort of, she doesn't really know him. He's more like a friend of a friend."

"He's the tall goofy looking one right?"

"Hey watch who you're calling goofy, I may just end up liking this guy and you've labelled him goofy already." Penelope protested.

"Okay, okay, I take it back."

"Whatever Morgan! How is Snickers Bar?" Derek rolled his eyes. He was currently seeing a girl named Candy that Penelope had called every sweet there was instead of her actual name.

"Point taken P."

"I thought so." She answered triumphantly.


	19. Missing you

With Derek so far away, and getting increasingly busy it was understandable that there a few hit and misses, as Penelope too was busy with the team and a promising friendship with Gabriel.

"Penelope Margaret Garcia, I have left you numerous messages, and you're never online, where are you? Don't make me come all the way back just to spank you." Derek's voice filled her apartment as she walked in. Dropping her gear by the door she dove for the phone,

"I'm sorry! But you can't talk, you've been equally busy Mr Unit Chief who doesn't answer calls from his so called best friend." Derek smiled upon hearing her voice,

"Hey Beautiful, it's good to finally hear that sexy voice I've missed so much."

"Smooth talk Morgan, but it's good to hear your voice too. How are you? More importantly, when are you coming home to visit? Clooney's doing that whole abandoned dog whimper that he learned from you."

"Haha! Very funny P. I am hoping to be done here by lunch time on Friday and drive up in time for after work drinks with the team."

"Sounds like a plan Stan."

"So am I going to meet the boy?" he asked with a smirk,

"If you promise to behave yourself then yes, otherwise I may have to banish him till you scurry back to New York."

"I'll play nice, I promise. I want to meet him P. Make sure he's worthy."

"Derek Morgan, will anyone ever be worthy?"

"No, but that's just my opinion."

"You're incorrigible. So will you be bringing Snickerdoodle with you?"

"Ahh, no." he answered without hesitation earning a chuckle from Penelope.

"You know one of these days you're going to have to be a grown up and have grown up relationships that extend outside a booty call Derek Morgan."

"Ouch P, you make me sound like a teenage boy with hormones."

"If the shoe fits my friend." She teased.

"I've missed you." He admittedly softly,

"I've missed you too. I'm looking forward to having you to myself all weekend."

"He won't mind."

"We're just friends Derek, nothing's happened yet and he is well versed in the Morgan and Garcia show. You came first."

"Good."

"Careful." She warned,

"Sorry P. I just want to make the most of our time together."

"Me too. So get your ass here already."

"Only a couple of days to go sweetheart."

"I'll be counting down the hours. See you then. Love you Morgs."

"Love you too Baby Girl."


	20. Reevaluating

_**Apologies on the hiatus! Hope you enjoy this chapter…**_

It would have been an understatement to say that both Penelope and Derek were looking forward to seeing each other. After months of being apart and limited to phone calls, Skype, emails and text messages as their only form of communication, they were both longing for a hug so it wasn't at all a surprise to find Penelope all jittery from excitement as she waited for her beloved best friend to waltz through the door.

"I'm surprised she's been functioning at all let along as well as she is," Hotch joked as he leaned against her doorway.

"Very funny Boss Man!" Penelope quipped without looking up from what she was doing.

"You can't fool me Hotchner, you're just as excited to see Derek as the rest of us." Emily said in quick solidarity while Aaron grinned sheepishly in reply.

"No sign of him yet I gather as you are all here at may lair waiting in anticipation and you guys tease me. You love that boy almost as much as I do."

"No one could ever love him as much as you do Garcie." JJ pointed out with a laugh

"You got that right Sugar."

"Did you all start the party without me?" Derek bellowed as he came down the hall.

"MORGS!" Penelope exclaimed excitedly as she jumped to her feet. Derek's grin widened, though he hadn't seen her yet he could hear the excitement in her voice and could imagine the enthusiasm exuding from her very presence. As if on script the rest of them stepped back allowing Derek to beeline straight for Penelope without any obstruction.

"Baby Girl!" he said happily as he engulfed her in his arms.

"God I've missed you." he murmured longingly in her ear, his voice breaking just a fraction from his overwhelming emotions.

"Me too handsome." she said reluctantly pulling back to get a better look at him.

"Do you not get fed in New York?" she said in obvious disapproval.

"Before you start Sweetheart let me say hello to the rest of the team."

To no one's surprise the BAU team disappeared from the moment Derek arrived and uncharacteristically Strauss had turned a blind eye. It was no secret that as well as their team performed despite the loss of one of their own his absence was deeply felt by each and every one of them. They had gone straight to Mr Fong's, a local favorite to all.

"It's good to have you home Derek." JJ said meaningfully placing a hand on his shoulder as she passed him to return to her seat. Derek caught her hand and gave it a brief squeeze,

"It's good to be home Jayje. I've missed you guys too."

"So Morgan, how is it?" Rossi asked. It seemed like an innocent question, but they all knew his answer would gauge the permanency of his decision. Though they had all kept in close contact with him since his departure, and got a brief run down on his daily routine, it was hard to determine how he truly felt. Derek inwardly chuckled, he knew the question was coming, and was quite impressed at the restraint that Rossi waited till it was dessert time.

"It has its good points. I am learning a lot. I miss you guys all the time, but I feel that I'm settling down little by little. It's certainly not home, and I can't really see it as ever being home, but I'll do the full year as agreed upon and take it from there." Hotch gave Derek an encouraging nod, as if to convey his support for his decision. Penelope who already knew of his plans only placed her hand on his leg. The rest of their team took it in stride, as though deep down they already knew that he wouldn't be back any time in the near future. Or if even he would be back. Derek grabbed hold of Penelope's hand on his leg and gave it a loving squeeze of reassurance, that nothing was going to change between them. Penelope met his gaze and gave him a brave smile, trying not to show him that it made her heart sad knowing that he wasn't going to be around. She had already began to feel the distance take their toll. In the last few weeks, they had both been so busy that it felt like they were playing catch up every time they did speak. A part of her felt like they had begun to try too hard killing the easiness that they had always had with each other.

After their early dinner, they made their way to the bar for drinks and dancing. It felt like they were complete again. It was as though no time had passed. That Derek was never missing. It gave them all comfort to know that they were able to just pick up where they left off. On their second round Penelope's phone began to ring, without looking at the screen she knew who it would be and excused herself. Derek watched as Penelope went outside to take the call. It wasn't at all lost on all at the table that Derek's attention was lost to his best friend outside talking animatedly on the phone. He watched as her face lit up in conversation, how she bit her lower lip in nervousness and giddiness as she talked to who he assumed to be Gabriel.

"Hey, I know you're out and about, but I thought I'd just check in to see how you were. I was just going to leave a message on your voicemail."

"Aww thanks G. Yeah we're at Halliwell's for a couple of drinks. You sure you don't want to come and join us?"

"Nah, it's your time with Derek. He's only here for the weekend, you guys should enjoy the family time."

"Well if you change your mind, know that it's an open invitation."

"I appreciate that P. I'm looking forward to meeting the famous Derek Morgan on Sunday at Brunch."

"He's looking forward to meeting you too. Thank you for checking in G. It's good to hear your voice"

"You too P. Have a great night."

When Penelope got back to the table she noticed that Derek was not at the table. She scanned the room for him, and looked at the other questioningly when she couldn't spot him.

"He's gone to get the next round of drinks." Hotch answered her unspoken question as she nodded,

"I might go and give him a hand." Penelope said making her way towards the bar in search of her best friend.

"Hey you!" she greeted nudging him with her shoulder. Derek turned and smiled at her. He draped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick but meaningful hug.

"I've missed you P." Penelope's eyes watered losing the composure she had been sporting all afternoon,

"Me too handsome." She answered dropping her gaze,

"Hey, talk to me." He pried cupping her cheek,

"No, I'm fine." Derek dropped his hand from her cheek and clasped his hand in hers before walking towards the nearest exit,

"Derek…" Penelope protested which fell on deaf ears till they were outside. Once there he turned her gently so that she was facing him. With both hands on her shoulders, his eyes locked hers,

"Talk to me P. Please…"

"I want you to be happy in New York, I do."

"I know that sweetheart,"

"But I want you here too. I miss you. These last couple of months without you has been almost unbearable."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"  
"Because you deserve to be happy Derek, and if that means New York, well I have to suck it up. You're my best friend and I have to be happy if you're happy. But now you have a whole life somewhere else and I'm not a part of it."

"I feel exactly the same way P. I hate that I'm not here with you guys. That I don't get to see you every day, or talk to you everyday. I can see that you've got all these new developments and I haven't been able to be a part of them. I feel like I'm losing my place." He confessed. Penelope wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him with all her might.

"You will never lose your place Morgs. You'll always be my best friend. It just means that there are changes we need to accept have to happen. That you can't be at two places at one time, that we are going to miss out on some moments, but it just means we just need to make more of an effort on the bigish moments."


	21. you told me to go

It was well into the morning by the time the team had gone their separate ways. They had ended up at Hotch's after the bar as his babysitter was due to go home at midnight and Derek had insisted that he also wanted to see Jack even if he were asleep.

"Hey little man did we wake you?" Penelope asked as Jack approached rubbing his eyes. Jack nodded walking straight into Penelope's outstretched arms his head sinking right into the crook of her neck,  
"Oh sweetheart we're sorry. Did you want me to tuck you back in?"  
"Will you stay with me till I fall asleep again?" he asked with his big brown Hotchner eyes.  
"Well of course. Do you want to say hi to Uncle Derek before I tuck you in? He's missed you." Finally looking around the room Jack saw Derek. His face lit up into a grin as he torpedoed towards Derek who caught him in his arms hugging him tightly.  
"I've missed you too kid!"

Habitually Derek and Penelope crashed in the one bed. Though she had set up the guest room for him, it seem weird to have him sleep in the guest room of his own home, and he would not hear of her moving into the guest room for the weekend.

"So P, tell me more about this guy. You're pretty evasive on the phone."  
"I like to call it mysterious thank you very much." Penelope replied as she handed him a glass of orange juice the next morning at breakfast. She watched amused as he hoed into the waffles and bacon she had heaped onto a plate for him.  
"Do you not get fed in New York?" she teased.  
"With what time P?" he answered.  
"Hey, don't you have a girlfriend that feeds you or is she one of those typical Morgan waif types who only eat salads?"  
"Somehow I think I got insulted in the midst of the delivery of your concern?"  
"It's a talent. I'm serious, doesn't Lollipop feed you?"  
"Once again her name is Candy, and yes that's what her parents named her. To answer your question, we're just seeing each other. It's nothing serious."  
"Of course it isn't." Penelope muttered rolling her eyes as she got up from the table.  
"What? You know I'm not looking for anything serious."  
"Geez Morgs, you're working some serious karma there. Does she know you're not in it for the long haul?"  
"She knows I'm not the getting seriously involved type."  
"Oh my goodness, do you hear you? You're one step away from sounding like one of those creeps you warn me about all the time. What happened to you? This is the Derek I first met, cool and suave not the caring Derek that left here all those months ago. What you've left the nest and realize what fun you've been missing out on so you take whatever comes in?"  
"Hey that's not fair!" he said in protest.  
"Maybe not but I barely recognize who's sitting in front of me now."  
"And who's fault is that?" he threw back. Shocked Penelope wasn't quite sure what to say,  
"You're the one who's moved on without me. Always too busy to come and visit. You're the one who was happy to replace me." He continued.  
"You told me to go. You told me nothing would change, that we would be okay, you said that everything I left behind would still be here, but are they really P? Are you really?"  
"Morgan, you're my best friend. Nothing nor anyone can ever change that. You're right I did tell you to go New York, because it is the right thing for you. You love what you're doing. It's a great opportunity for you. I have never left your side. Yes I tried weaning some distance between us because I knew if you and I kept each other so close you would never give New York a fair go and you would have been home in weeks, and I wanted you to give this opportunity your all. Don't think for a moment that it didn't hurt me to have to do that, or that a day passes that I don't miss you. There are days when I miss you so much that I find myself having imaginary conversations with you. I never replaced you Derek, even if I wanted to I can't. There's a part of me that will always belong to you."  
"P…"  
"Don't." she said raising her hand to stop him from saying anything further.  
"We have to go. The guys are waiting for us at Hotch's."  
"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Derek apologized regretfully knowing he had pushed too hard.


	22. makes me mad

Derek knew that he had crossed a line which he wasn't quite sure he could recover from. He hadn't meant for it to get as out of hand as it did. She had barely looked at him since the moment they had left the apartment. Seemingly she was fine, addressed him in conversation, she put up a great front, but he saw right through her. He saw how hurt she was, and angry she was at him for being such a dousch bag.

"What'd you do?" Aaron asked discreetly as he and Derek went to the car to pick up more gear for the picnic that they had packed. Derek sighed and gave Hotch a brief account of that mornings exchanged.  
"Out of no where she just got mad at me."  
"Out of no where. Derek, when did you ever know Penelope NOT to challenge you to be a better person? Of course it worries her when you act so carelessly. You can't tell me that you wouldn't be reacting the same way had you found her in the same state of mind."  
"I know. I miss you guys. But there's barely any time to eat or sleep let along make life long friends. Besides, this isn't permanent. I'd said I'd give it a year, but I am coming home Hotch."  
"Are you sure that's what you want Derek, that you're making your decisions for all the right reasons? You're doing a great job in New York, they couldn't be singing you higher praises."  
""Hotch, I get that. I know I've always had career aspirations, but now that I am in the middle of it, I think, at what cost? I am miserable in New York, and all I do is work. Surely there is more to life. Heck I know there is. I don't want a job that has me so busy I don't even know what's going on in my family's life, and that's where I am heading, and I think a part of me is already there. The job is fulfilling, don't get me wrong, but it's not enough for me Hotch. When this is all over, I want to come home. I will come home."  
"As long as you're sure."  
"More than sure." He said looking at Penelope playing with Jack with longing in his eyes. Hotch nodded in understanding.

"Did you two have an argument?" Emily asked point blank. Though Penelope had convincingly upheld the pretense that all was well, Derek was not as good. She had caught Derek looking at Penelope apologetically, pleadingly, and longingly.  
"No, not really." Penelope paused and considered deflecting but saw the determination in Emily's face, like a dog with a bone.  
"He just irked me this morning. It wasn't anything big, but it blew up into this big thing. Words were said, and I don't know Em." Penelope filled in the blanks for her friend as they walked towards the lake leaving the rest of their crew doing their own thing.  
"He misses you P."  
"I know that. I miss him too. But you should have heard him Em, he snapped. He basically blamed me for where we are. That he went to New York at all. Like I shipped him off to New York without a care in the world."  
"He's scared."  
"Of what?"  
"Of Gabe taking his place as most important in your life."  
"Are you kidding. Gabe is great, but I'm just getting to know him. Derek and I have been friends for almost a decade." Penelope protested.  
"Yeah, but Derek isn't here to be a part of your decisions, or to see your interactions, to know that you miss him as much as you do."  
"He's an idiot if he doesn't know that I miss him. Gah! He makes me so mad."


	23. reasons behind it

"Come on P, you can't be mad at me all weekend." Derek said as he finally conjured up enough courage to approach his seething best friend.  
"I sure can try though." She muttered not giving him an inch.  
"I know I was a jack ass, and I know that I was way out of line, would you take my plea for temporary insanity?"  
"You wigged Morgan." Penelope said quietly,  
"I know and I'm sorry honey. I do really miss you,"  
"And I miss you, you big baboon!" Derek grinned, draping an arm around her shoulder pulling her into his embrace.  
"I guess it scared me a little that you seemed to be moving on without me."  
"You're such an ass hat Morgan."  
"An insecure one it seems Baby Girl."  
"You should know better."  
"I know, I won't make such a mistake again. Forgive me?" he pleaded with a pout.  
"Whatever…" she replied with a shrug.  
"Come on, say it P. You forgive me, you know I won't leave you alone till you do." He teased.  
"Fine I forgive you."  
"Thank you… hey P."  
"What?"  
"When this stint is over, I'm coming home. New York isn't for me." Penelope looked at him,  
"Derek are you sure?"  
"Yeah P. It's been a great experience, but it's not where I want to be at this part of my life. I love the BAU. I love Virginia, and this is where my life is. Being away from all this only made me realize how much I cherish it, and how I don't want to be away from it. From you."  
"What are you saying Derek?" she asked nervously.  
"That it's taken me all these months being apart from you to realize that I love you P, and not just in that my best friend kind of way. The reason why I could never commit to anyone in New York or in general is because in my heart I am already 110% committed to you and only you."  
"Are you…"  
"Sure? Yes! More sure than I have ever been my whole life." He said finishing her train of thought.  
"I wasn't sure you felt the same way until this morning during our argument. For a moment there I thought maybe you felt the same way. Do you?" Derek asked hesitantly. His eyes conveyed the fear behind his question,  
"Of course I do. Why do you think I was so mad at you. Derek, you have been my best friend for the longest time. You know me inside and out. What we have is incredibly special to me and it scares me to gamble with that."  
"I know it's a huge risk P, but I'm willing to take that chance if you are. I would rather know that we gave it a chance than live in wonder forever. What do you say?" he asked lifting his eyes to meet hers,  
"Okay." She answered leaning her forehead to his. Derek beamed as her kissed her on the top of her nose.  
"We're not done talking D. Not by a long shot."  
"I know Princess. We have all night tonight. For now let's enjoy the day with our friends. We'll work through this, and we'll find a way to make it work for us. I love you P. More than I have ever loved anyone before in my life. The more time we spent apart the more I knew it wasn't for me."  
"Alright handsome, we'll continue this conversation later. And for the record, I do love you too."  
"Music to my ears Baby Girl."


End file.
